April Fool's Day

Yesterday was April Fool's Day. I had a blast revisiting older media pranks and pulling a few new ones myself. Playfulness and fun are important elements of photography and life. Playful photos spread good cheer -- and we all need more of that these days. They also help us to push our conceptual, creative and technical boundaries.

Recently, the North River Arts Society (NRAS) hosted a show (and competition) themed "Perpetual Motion." At first I was intimidated by the description. Then it dawned on me: Make it my own. I asked, "what perpetual motion means to me?" That was easy. Of course it abounds in nature. Living near the ocean I figured there would be several tidal shots. Yet, it also can mean dogs, toddlers, laundromats and coffee drinkers. I accepted the challenge of dogs.

Here's our older dog Henry in our backyard with his beloved Frisbee. Without the NRAS challenge and the license to play I wouldn't have learned all I did when creating this. Photography is not just about the capture of pretty pictures, it's about capturing life, the best and worst of human conditions, our hopes, accomplishments, dreams and relationships. Make play a part of life and document it.

Most of the photograph of "Henry, Henry, Henry" was made in the camera with the use of my flash set to "repeat." Two of those stroboscopic images were used to create the final print, after carefully reviewing the dozens of final candidates. They were then edited a bit, merged in Photoshop, and edited a bit more. The result? Somewhat like what you see when a Frisbee is near Henry: Perpetual Motion.

The North River Arts Society, Marshfield, Massachusetts
The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra who performed a wonderful "Perpetual Motion" concert in conjunction with the North River Arts Society show.

The origin of April Fool's Day
1957 BBC Spaghetti story
April 1, 2009 CNN reports Click and Clack to join GM leadership team
2008 BBC Documentary of Penguins that fly

Hope you're having fun.

Connie of TheWelcomeGallery.com